Suction boosting apparatus



Al1g 7, 1934- H. HUEBER Er AL 1,969,078

.SUCTION BOOSTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2S, 1930 fJ1 ,EMIL-J1 All J1 J1 Patented Aug. 7, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Hamburg, N. Y., assignors to Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Trico Products Application February 26, 1930, Serial No. 431,588

4 Claims.

This invention relates to suction creating and augmenting or boosting devices and more particularly to an attachment for the fan wheel of an automobile whereby suction created by l virtue of the device is used for actuating fluid pressure motors of automobile accessories.

Since fluid pressure is generated by the internal combustion engine of an automobile this source of energy has been utilized for operating such accessory devices as windshield cleaners. The fluid pressure within the intake manifold of the engine is less than atmospheric pressure during the operation of the'engine, and at a steady and constant speed this fluid pressure is substantially without variation. When increased quantities of air are admitted to the intake manifold, such as occurs during acceleration of the engine, the fluid pressure within the intake manifoldl is changed and is variable. The net result of such a variation is either to render the fluid pressure insufiicient for actuating the motor of the accessory or to operate the accessory at a variable rather than constant rate.

The instant invention provides a mechanism for creating a reliable degree of suction sufficient to maintain the accessory operative in an eilicient manner at all times, and further provides a device which when attached to the suction line of the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine, will operate as a fluid pressure intensifier whereby the fluctuations of the manifold fluid pressure are damped and a substantially constant source of fluid pressure less than atmospheric is provided. This' effect is accomplished, according to the embodiment of the invention herein described, by providing a plurality of rotating Venturi tubes in a rotatable part of -the automobile, such, for example, as 40 the engine fan.

" In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents generally an internal com bustion engine having the instant /invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 represents a fan blade with parts broken away and showing a Venturi tube with connections attached therto.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through the fan mounting and shaft illustrat- 50 ing the central passage and conduits through which the suction is provided for the automobile accessory.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view? taken at the intersection of the conduits from the fan and the intake manifold showing suitable check valves therein.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 generally represents an internal combustion engine of an automobile, provided with with a carburetor 2 and an intake manilfold 3. A driving pulley 4, attached vto` the engine, transmits power by Lm'eans of -a fan belt 5 to an engine-cooling fan 6 which is mounted upon the shaft 7 by means of the hub or collar 7'. During operation ofthe engine combustible fuel from the carburetor is mixed with air within theintake vmanifold 3 and enters the combustion engine and uid pressure 7'0 in the intakemanifold is there less than atmospheric pressure.

A plurality of Venturi tubes 8 are `mounted on the ends of the fan blades 9, being secured by means of straps or clips 10. Each Venturi tube 8 is so disposed as to causeair to enter the mouth 11 of the tube upon vrotation .of the fan. r

Eddy currents are also created at the rear or trailing side of the fan with a resulting development of reduced local pressures. A reduced pressure is consequently created atthe downstream or exit opening 12 of the Venturi tube which facilitates the passage of air therethrough. As air passes through the tube 8 the static or pressure head thereof is changed 'to a velocity head. Upon passage through the throat 13 of the tube 8 the increased velocity of the air causes a reduction in the static presspre or head of the air.v The dispositionof the venturi with vrespect to its supporting blade is such that the movement of the air through the venturi is assisted by the fan in that the supporting blade has its forward face constituting a positive pressure side of the blade and the rear face constituting a. reduced pressure side. The Venturi discharge end preferably overhangs the reduced pressure face of the blade' so that the low pressure created by the blade as the fan rotates will the now of air through the ventura, In other words, the fan, in addition to producing a breeze toward the engine, creates a low pressure zone or zones, and by arranging the Venturis -with their forward ends adjacent the pressurefaces of the blades and their discharge ends adjacent the reduced pressure faces, the air movement through the venturis will be considerably increased. According to the present disclosure such arrangement is obtained by disposing each be effective in assisting 100 venturi at an angle relative to the blade as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. This reduced pressure provided by the venturis is advantageously used in the instant invention by providing a conduit 14 connected to the venturi at the throat thereof and leading to a point at which said reduced fluid pressure is used. The conduit may be of any desired type, may be integral with the fan blade or separate therefrom or attached thereto. In the preferred type, a separate conduit leads from the throat of the Venturi tube 8 and through the hub '1' Aof the fan. The conduits are connected to the fan by means of the clips 10 and engage the collar of the fan through the openings 15 formed therein. These drilled openings 15, which engage the ends of the conduits 14 communicate with an annular channel 16 within the inner circumference of said collar 'I'. Radial openings 17 adjacent the end of the.shaft '1, are adapted to communicate with the annular channel 16 and lead from said channel to a longitudinal passage 18 within the shaft 7.- An openingv 19 leading from the axial passage is connected by a conduit 20 to a T-connection 21 which in turn has its upright branch 25 connected by means of the passages 22 and 23 withthe particular automobile accessory which it is desired to actuate by means of the said iluid pressure.

engine uid pressure is generated in the intake manifold thereof and is maintained in the conduit 23 so long as the fluid pressure in the intake manifold is sulilcient to depress the check valve 24. When this fluid pressure is of sufficient value the check valve 27 remains closed. When, however, fluid pressure from this source is insuillcient the check valve 27 is opened by the fluid pressure generated by means of the Venturi tubes 8 attached to the several blades of the fan.

This suction inducing mechanism comprising theian wheel and the Venturi attachment, provides a suction augmenting and inducing device whichy is adapted to maintain a constant source of fluid pressure vfor use in actuating pressure motors of particular automobile accessories such `as windshield wipers It will be seen/from the foregoing description that a device is provided for maintaining such fluid pressure as': is necessary for actuating automobile accessories. The device is simple in construction, is not sub- 30 ject to unusual wearand consequent replacement,- contains no intricate structural features and is adapted to be used upon automobiles presently in use.

What is ,claimed is:

1. A hub having radially extending supports, and a venturi on the outer end of each support facing in the direction of rotation,y the hub being provided with a suction passage `and'each support being provided with a passage establish-r ing communication between the throat of its supported venturi and the hub passage, each support being `provided with an angular front face to constitute a blade face of a fan, the rear face portion of .each support creating a re-I.- duced pressure and the associated venturi vdischarging thereadjacent so as to be aided bythe reduced pressure thereat.

2. A cooling fan for `the internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, having ahub and :rai dially disposed angular blades kcarriedthereby, the forward face of each blade` constituting" the pressure side and the rear face the reduced-pressure side, a venturi for each blade disposedfwith its mouth overhanging the pressure face of I.each blade and its exit opening overhanging the reduced pressure face of its supporting blade, vand a hub passage communicating with the throat portion of each venturi.

3. A cooling fan for the internal combustion'l'lO engine of a motor vehicle, having a hub and a blade structure which latter in operation creates a reduced pressure adjacent one surface',` Venturi-like suction inducing'means carried by the blade structure with its discharge end adjacent F1115 the reduced pressure surface to be aided by. the reduced pressure thereat, and a hub passage connecting to the suction inducing means.

4. An engine cooling fan for motor vehicles, having a hub and a plurality of .radiating fan r blades, each blade having a high pressure face and a low pressure face, Venturi means 4supported by the blades radially outwardlyr beyond the rotary path thereof, the low pressure faces of said blades creating a reduced pressure for assisting the flow of air through the Venturi means, a conduit extending radially inwardly from the Venturi means and supported by an adjacent blade, and a hub passage vcommunicating with the conduit. v,130

HENRY HUEBER. ERWIN c. HoRToN.

if V.,145 

